Top 10 Important Steps to Writing (How to get an 'A')

1.    First learn to read directions! That sounds silly but it is half the battle to getting something right!

2.    Topic Sentences (the brain of each paragraph): Topic Sentences & Exercises: it should try to answer the six questions (see little poem above that is beneath the text book list).

a.    Similar to topic sentences but the brain of the entire essay, thesis sentences are inserted into the introduction of a paper, usually the last sentence of the introduction. Guide for Writing a Thesis (What it is and What it is not): Thesis Dos and Don'ts

3.    4 Types of Description/ Adding Spices to the Mix (the heart of each paragraph):

     (a) 4 Types of Description     (b) Descriptive Language in Action     (c) 100 Best Similes in Literature (good examples)  (d) examples and names of people & places

4.    Paragraph Unity: What is it?  Paragraph Unity & Exercises

5.    Sentence Variation (see RG Ch 20): What is it? Types of Sentence Variation

6.    Transitions (see RG 144): Transition List

7.    Computer Hints (I prefer Ms Word or WordPerfect over Works  and Note Pad because there is never spacing problems and I can send comments back to you embedded in the document through email.)

a.    Control F will pull up a little box that allows you to search any document for a word or phrase.

b.    Word Count is usually found in the lower right hand corner but you can access it in older software by clicking on "File" and then "Properties".

c.     Spelling Check is not perfect but if there is a red squiggly line then click with right mouse button and LOOK at the suggested corrections!

d.    Grammar Check is not perfect but if there is a green squiggly line then click with right mouse button and LOOK at the suggested corrections!

e.    In MS Word, click on "Review" to access grammar Check, Spelling Check, a Thesaurus, and a Translation Program! It should also be there in WordPerfect too!

8.    MLA (Modern Language Association) - use for organizing quotes, sources, and works cited

a.    How to tell if you are plagiarizing

b.    Know when to underline published titles (newspaper name, dictionary, novel, anthology, CD, movie) and when to put in quotes (story, article, chapter, poem, song name).

c.    Use parenthetical documentation: put author and page number in parenthesis after a quote/source to show where it came from like this (Silverman 2). Period goes after not before!

d.    Look at the suggested ways to Introduce your quotation. Don't just slap it at the beginning or end of a paragraph and leave it hanging by itself!

e.    Where not to go: Sites to Avoid List. Avoid blogs because anybody can put anything on the web without someone to fact check it!

f.     Look for great places to find quotes in general like Bartlebys    Thinkexist   Brainyquotes but know that there are ways to find more meaty quotes from articles too as discussed in class!

g.    Where to go to find quotes and secondary sources:

1.    You should mostly use GALILEO to find scholarly sources to include in your discussion. You will want to use the MLA database. To get there, go to Gordon's web page. Then, follow this trail: My Gordon > Library Online Resources > GALILEO > Databases A-Z > M > MLA International Bibliography. (Please do not limit your research to what is available in full text, for the Hightower library has many resources available both in print and on microfilm.). A subject search in the GIL catalog under the author's name will also produce results. From the Hightower Library site, follow this trail: GIL Catalog > Exact Search > Subject Heading. Type in the author's name in this format: Last Name, First Name. Look at the list for "Criticism and Interpretation" to find books our library holds.

2.         Encyclopedia www.britannica.com

3.         http://scholar.google.com/ to find articles online

4.        Quote Sites for hooks or beginning of conclusion not for inside paper: www.bartleby.com or http://www.brainyquote.com/ or http://thinkexist.com/quotes/top/

4.  Try to avoid and use Galileo but if you must: Google (type a subject and the word 'article' in search box) & Wikipedia (watch for sites selling papers and essays and opinionated blog sites)

5.        American Statistical Index www.fedstats.gov

6.   Article Database  and Finding Sources list (very helpful!)

h.    Work Cited:  Create a works cited page after the essay that uses primary (comes from the text) or secondary sources (comes from another text but it is about the primary text).      

I.    MLA Generator Cites: Cite Simple MLA Generator Knight Cite     Easy Bib     Citation Machine

II.    

III.    How to Use Web Sources in Work Cited

9.    Grammar

a. Run-On Errors

b. Fragment Errors

c. Verb Tense Switch & Subj-Verb Agreement    

d. Misplaced Modifiers

e. Grammar Practice w/ Quizzes & student essay samples = http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar

f. Quirky Grammar Practice = http://www.chompchomp.com/

g. Great Grammar Site I Use Most w/ exercises = http://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/

h. Other quizzes = http://academicenglishcafe.com/Quizzes.aspx & Extra Handouts from UNC = http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/index.html

    10.     Be creative and have fun! Tap into the poetry within your heart. Everyone is capable of this-- no, really, you are!

5 Parag. Essay Pattern (written in Jell-O not on Stone Tablets of Moses): 5 Paragraph Essay